WHAT DOES A HOPPER TOP VALVE DO? “JUST PASSING THROUGH”

“I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round, The one with the prettiest of views; It’s got mountains, it’s got rivers, it’s got sights to give you shivers, But it sure would be prettier with you”

- Lulu & the Lampshades (aka “The Cup Song”)

When trying to design a pneumatic system be the most efficient and cost effective possible, sometimes it’s more about design than equipment. 

A hopper top valve is a design to allow multiple fill points from a single source or bank of sources and then route the material back to a remote source. That’s a really fancy way of saying we can get rid of a whole bunch of filters and shorten your stack-up height.

At the heart of the valve is a standard butterfly valve, fitted for the application with a transition on top to fit a convey line running over it. When the valve is closed, material transfers right over it. Thanks to a resilient seal, with no leakage and minimum abrasion. When the valve is open, it provides a deflection to load material into the hopper while allowing a path down the back side for material to continue on (Making this the handiest little accessory since Gallagher brought us Sledge-O-Matic for Watermelons).

OK. Great. So what does that DO for me as a customer? I’m glad you asked…

By placing it onto a receiving hopper, a filter receiver assembly can often be eliminated. If said filter is say 304 stainless steel? This can often result in a savings of $5,000 -$30,000 PER DESTINATION!!! If you are, refilling, say…4 mixers? You can see the potential savings already. In addition, because you do not have need room for filter assemblies, stack-up height, often at a premium above process equipment, can usually be reduced substantially (typically by 4 to 8 feet).

Please keep in mind to examine the WHOLE system before installing one though. Care should be taken to make sure the receiving vessel/hopper and it’s discharge can stand the pressurization that going to happen as a result of the “looping” air. For details, contact your Smoot Representative for further assistance.

And see? You didn’t even get any watermelon on you….

For more information on Hopper Top Valves Click Here.

Blog by Larry Eagan | Regional Sales Manager